Observing Sprouts GSEs: Life Science 4 (5-8) Using data provided, select evidence that supports the concept that genetic information is passed on from parents to offspring. 11a- Students demonstrate an understanding of human heredity by observing, recording, and comparing differences in inherited traits
Context for the Lesson: In previous lessons students learn about different types and parts of seeds, seed dispersal, and ways to harvesting new generations of plants. They have planted seeds in Petri dishes and will be making observations on the growth and genetic traits that these seeds show. The lesson will involve working with the growing seeds and recording observations as a class. It will lead into human genetics from the plant reproduction and genetics from prior lessons. The lesson will take a 90 minute class period. It will lead into the next lesson dealing with human traits. This lesson gives the students the base of knowledge that they need for the remainder of the unit. By presenting the accurate vocabulary and use of ratios at the beginning of the unit, the intention is for the students to be able to put them to use throughout and gradually develop a deeper understanding. Good organization. Opportunities to Learn: Materials Needed: * Sprouts from previous lesson * Sprouts worksheet * Transparency of Student Sheet 19.1 "Stem and Leaf Color in Wisconsin Fast Plants"
*Handout of Table 19.1 Mendel's Study of Traits in Pea Plants Classroom Environment: * The desks will be arranged in groups of four and will work with the previous partner who they planted the seeds with (if they did not use partners, then they will be working on their own) * Groups will be heterogeneous and pre-assigned Differentiated Instruction: 1. This lesson is split into 3 parts, each part addresses a different learning style. Part 1 involves working together to make observations of their previous experiment, part 2 is where the class reads and takes notes together, and part 3 is an application of what they learned in the opening of the lesson. 2. The class will be working in groups for a great deal of this lesson, which will encourage them to ask questions and find answers together. Students approaching proficiency:
We will be demonstrating how all ratios should be done and the steps will be left up for reference. Some students will need assistance with calculations, which can be done in teams and will be reviewed as a class.
Students exceeding proficiency:
These students can demonstrate to the class how they found the ratios. They can teach their peers if they have a firm grasp on the concepts.
Objectives: Students will be able to observe traits and explain the difference between genes and traits. Students will be able to find ratios of genetics traits. Students will be able to explain how the genetics of the observed plants relate to humans. Nice objectives. Instructional Procedures: Opening/ Engagement/Closure: Opening: 1. As students enter the classroom, there is a Journal Question on the board instructing them to use their text book figure 19.1 to list similarities and differences that they see between the baby horse and the parents.
Journal Question: Use a Venn Diagram to compare at least 3 similarities and 3 differences you observe between the two horses in Figure 19.1 in your textbooks. 2. Ask for volunteers to share what they came up with and record their ideas on the board. 3. Instruct the students to keep their observations in mind as we start the lesson and tell them to think of how their observations of a horse relates to what they will be finding out about their plants.
Guiding Questions: Why do you think the baby horse looks like the mother? How do you think this is related to us? Do we share similar characteristics with our parents? The goal for the day is to observe traits passed in sprouts and to relate the findings to what we have observed with the horses.
Engagement:
Part 1 Observing Sprouts
We will start be making observations of sprouts that we have planted. The goal is to look at the sprouts and make note of what color the sprouts are. Color is the trait that we will be observing in this exercise. You will take 10 minutes to get your sprouts, record your observations, and return your sprouts to the back of the room. 1. Students get their pre-planted sprouts from their previous lesson and bring them to their seats. 2. As students get their sprouts, pass out a short worksheet for them to record their data. (See
) 3. Have students work together and count how many purple sprouts (with any hint of purple) and how many green sprouts are in their Petri Dish. Walk around and monitor student progress and help distinguish purple leaves. 4. As groups are finishing making their observations, they will enter their data on the transparency. 5. What are the chances that the sprouts grew purple? With the data that we collected as a class, we will learn how we can predict what color the sprouts will end up.
Part 2 Notes and Reading
What do we do with the observations that we made of our sprouts? How can we use our observations to make predictions about what will happen if we plant more sprouts? 1. Class will read “Mendel’s Discoveries” out load by volunteer readers. Students are used to volunteering to read, or being told that they can read the next few paragraphs. As a class, we will do a reading exercise that is often used called "Chunking." 2. Readers will read one paragraph at a time and stop to take notes of the main points of that paragraph. 3. Students will take notes in their notebook as instructed by what is written on their board. 4. Key terms that will be in notebook Notes Part 3 Finding Ratios Using Mendel’s data
Using Mendel's Discoveries, do we have a better idea of how we can make predictions about what traits are inherited? We will first use Mendel's data and find ratios of his observations and then we will apply this same technique to our sprouts.
1. Pass out a worksheet that has all of the data on page 226-229 in their textbooks and use the handout of Table 19.1 to do their work.
2. Demonstrate how to find a ratio using the first trait on the list. Show all steps on the board and leave the steps up as reference. 3. They will work with their partner to find ratios of each trait that is listed using what they learned from the demonstration. 4. We will go over entire worksheet as a class by letting groups volunteer to write out their steps and report their finding to the class. The worksheet will be filled in on the transparency as each group reports their calculations. Nice idea.
We will now apply what we learned about Mendel's observations to out own observations of our sprouts.
5. Put results from Part 1 up on the transparency and, as a class, calculate the ratio that they observed from their sprouts using their skills of finding ratios. 6. How do our observations compare to what Mendel found when he observed the color of his sprouts? Why is it different? How could we adapt our own experiment? 7. Discuss why we might have gotten different results.
Main Points: Mendel used a greater number of sprouts, giving him more data. The more data that we have, the more significant the difference. As scientists, we always want to question our work and find out why our experiments did or did not show what others in the past have scene.
Closing:
1. Discuss as a class observations that were made about the horses in the beginning of the class and how this relates to what we now know about sprouts.
Do you think that you can make similar ratios of animal traits?
What kind of traits can you measure? (Looking for them to tell me that they can only observe traits that are physically seen. You cannot see traits such as blood type, etc.but you can measure those in other ways).
What questions do you have about how the traits are passed on to offspring?
How do you think it works in humans?
2. List questions on board that will remain up there for next class so that we remember what we wanted to know after today. Assessment: 1. Students will be assessed based on their participation in the class activity, putting their data in the class chart. 2. Students will get a class work grade on their worksheet where they calculate ratios of their own experiment and the ratios of Mendel’s experiment. They will be checked for completeness. We will have gone over all of the answers as a class, so all worksheets should be completed and correct. 3. Students will be formatively assessed on their discussion and ability to correctly use the terms defined in their reading. The questions will be directed towards the students they will be expected to answer on a voluntary basis. If some students are not paying attention, I will call on them, or tell them what question I will ask them next so that they can think about it.
GSEs:
Life Science 4 (5-8) Using data provided, select evidence that supports the concept that genetic information is passed on from parents to offspring.
11a- Students demonstrate an understanding of human heredity by observing, recording, and comparing differences in inherited traits
Context for the Lesson:
In previous lessons students learn about different types and parts of seeds, seed dispersal, and ways to harvesting new generations of plants. They have planted seeds in Petri dishes and will be making observations on the growth and genetic traits that these seeds show. The lesson will involve working with the growing seeds and recording observations as a class. It will lead into human genetics from the plant reproduction and genetics from prior lessons. The lesson will take a 90 minute class period. It will lead into the next lesson dealing with human traits. This lesson gives the students the base of knowledge that they need for the remainder of the unit. By presenting the accurate vocabulary and use of ratios at the beginning of the unit, the intention is for the students to be able to put them to use throughout and gradually develop a deeper understanding. Good organization.
Opportunities to Learn:
Materials Needed:
* Sprouts from previous lesson
* Sprouts worksheet
* Transparency of Student Sheet 19.1 "Stem and Leaf Color in Wisconsin Fast Plants"
*Handout of Table 19.1 Mendel's Study of Traits in Pea Plants
Classroom Environment:
* The desks will be arranged in groups of four and will work with the previous partner who they planted the seeds with (if they did not use partners, then they will be working on their own)
* Groups will be heterogeneous and pre-assigned
Differentiated Instruction:
1. This lesson is split into 3 parts, each part addresses a different learning style. Part 1 involves working together to make observations of their previous experiment, part 2 is where the class reads and takes notes together, and part 3 is an application of what they learned in the opening of the lesson.
2. The class will be working in groups for a great deal of this lesson, which will encourage them to ask questions and find answers together.
Students approaching proficiency:
We will be demonstrating how all ratios should be done and the steps will be left up for reference. Some students will need assistance with calculations, which can be done in teams and will be reviewed as a class.
Students exceeding proficiency:
These students can demonstrate to the class how they found the ratios. They can teach their peers if they have a firm grasp on the concepts.
Objectives:
Students will be able to observe traits and explain the difference between genes and traits.
Students will be able to find ratios of genetics traits.
Students will be able to explain how the genetics of the observed plants relate to humans. Nice objectives.
Instructional Procedures: Opening/ Engagement/Closure:
Opening:
1. As students enter the classroom, there is a Journal Question on the board instructing them to use their text book figure 19.1 to list similarities and differences that they see between the baby horse and the parents.
Journal Question: Use a Venn Diagram to compare at least 3 similarities and 3 differences you observe between the two horses in Figure 19.1 in your textbooks.
2. Ask for volunteers to share what they came up with and record their ideas on the board.
3. Instruct the students to keep their observations in mind as we start the lesson and tell them to think of how their observations of a horse relates to what they will be finding out about their plants.
Guiding Questions: Why do you think the baby horse looks like the mother? How do you think this is related to us? Do we share similar characteristics with our parents? The goal for the day is to observe traits passed in sprouts and to relate the findings to what we have observed with the horses.
Engagement:
Part 1 Observing SproutsWe will start be making observations of sprouts that we have planted. The goal is to look at the sprouts and make note of what color the sprouts are. Color is the trait that we will be observing in this exercise. You will take 10 minutes to get your sprouts, record your observations, and return your sprouts to the back of the room.
1. Students get their pre-planted sprouts from their previous lesson and bring them to their seats.
2. As students get their sprouts, pass out a short worksheet for them to record their data. (See
3. Have students work together and count how many purple sprouts (with any hint of purple) and how many green sprouts are in their Petri Dish. Walk around and monitor student progress and help distinguish purple leaves.
4. As groups are finishing making their observations, they will enter their data on the transparency.
5. What are the chances that the sprouts grew purple? With the data that we collected as a class, we will learn how we can predict what color the sprouts will end up.
Part 2 Notes and Reading
What do we do with the observations that we made of our sprouts? How can we use our observations to make predictions about what will happen if we plant more sprouts?
1. Class will read “Mendel’s Discoveries” out load by volunteer readers. Students are used to volunteering to read, or being told that they can read the next few paragraphs. As a class, we will do a reading exercise that is often used called "Chunking."
2. Readers will read one paragraph at a time and stop to take notes of the main points of that paragraph.
3. Students will take notes in their notebook as instructed by what is written on their board.
4. Key terms that will be in notebook
Notes
Part 3 Finding Ratios Using Mendel’s data
Using Mendel's Discoveries, do we have a better idea of how we can make predictions about what traits are inherited? We will first use Mendel's data and find ratios of his observations and then we will apply this same technique to our sprouts.
1. Pass out a worksheet that has all of the data on page 226-229 in their textbooks and use the handout of Table 19.1 to do their work.
2. Demonstrate how to find a ratio using the first trait on the list. Show all steps on the board and leave the steps up as reference.
3. They will work with their partner to find ratios of each trait that is listed using what they learned from the demonstration.
4. We will go over entire worksheet as a class by letting groups volunteer to write out their steps and report their finding to the class. The worksheet will be filled in on the transparency as each group reports their calculations. Nice idea.
We will now apply what we learned about Mendel's observations to out own observations of our sprouts.
5. Put results from Part 1 up on the transparency and, as a class, calculate the ratio that they observed from their sprouts using their skills of finding ratios.
6. How do our observations compare to what Mendel found when he observed the color of his sprouts? Why is it different? How could we adapt our own experiment?
7. Discuss why we might have gotten different results.
Main Points: Mendel used a greater number of sprouts, giving him more data. The more data that we have, the more significant the difference. As scientists, we always want to question our work and find out why our experiments did or did not show what others in the past have scene.
Closing:
1. Discuss as a class observations that were made about the horses in the beginning of the class and how this relates to what we now know about sprouts.
Do you think that you can make similar ratios of animal traits?
What kind of traits can you measure? (Looking for them to tell me that they can only observe traits that are physically seen. You cannot see traits such as blood type, etc.but you can measure those in other ways).
What questions do you have about how the traits are passed on to offspring?
How do you think it works in humans?
2. List questions on board that will remain up there for next class so that we remember what we wanted to know after today.
Assessment:
1. Students will be assessed based on their participation in the class activity, putting their data in the class chart.
2. Students will get a class work grade on their worksheet where they calculate ratios of their own experiment and the ratios of Mendel’s experiment. They will be checked for completeness. We will have gone over all of the answers as a class, so all worksheets should be completed and correct.
3. Students will be formatively assessed on their discussion and ability to correctly use the terms defined in their reading. The questions will be directed towards the students they will be expected to answer on a voluntary basis. If some students are not paying attention, I will call on them, or tell them what question I will ask them next so that they can think about it.